Broken Frontier

This is one of the interviews that I am most proud of. Not so much because of the questions asked or the answers provided, but due to the subject of the interview, Howard Wong, creator and writer of the new Image Comics/Shadowline book After the Cape .

I have known Howard online for a number of years. In the cyber world, I know him as hobbes, a funny guy with whom I shared dreams of writing comics. I always knew that big things were in store for hobbes, but I admit that I was shocked to learn that his debut in the world of comics was to come from Image…

BROKEN FRONTIER: G’day Howard, it feels strange to call you that after all these years of calling you hobbes! Welcome to Broken Frontier, mate. You must be excited about the March debut of your book After The Cape?

HOWARD WONG: Hey Jase! Thanks for the warm welcome. Excited indeed, March is going to be one of my favorite months this year, that I can tell you.

BF: Let’s take a step back. Can you take us through the initial creative process on the book? How did you come up with the idea and how did things get set in motion?

HW: It came about from the desire to write something I hadn't tried before, and a conversation I had with my wife about why she didn't dig the superhero genre. Through that I built the groundwork for the story, where I put Ethan Falls into real life situations (bills, family, unemployment, alcoholism, etc.) to see how he would cope with it, given where he is in life now.

BF: This seems like a very personal story. Can I ask you if any of this story is autobiographical, I mean, I realize the parts with the super powers are made up!

HW: In a way yes. I took different parts of my life, like I do for everything I write, and threw them into the creative blender to see if it mixed well. As I created the idea for After the Cape, my wife was pregnant with our first child, so there were many thoughts and uncertainties as an expecting father that went into the book. Ethan was never prepared for life and its challenges. He dedicated his life to being a superhero, but as a husband and a father, that was a whole new situation for him. That's something I wanted to explore. However, if you are wondering if I have/had a drinking problem, no.

Okay, I admit, I was a huge coffee drinker in high school, but I cut back!

BF: Can you tease us with a little of Ethan Falls’ journey? Will we get to see the man at the height of his powers and his success before he comes crashing down?

HW: Ethan's life didn’t turn out anything like he would have imagined it. He never thought about his future during his superhero days, so when he was faced with taking care of his wife and kids he was at a loss. No education or money, what was he to do? As a family man myself, I asked the question, "how far would I go for them?" which I let Ethan answer for his own situation.

After the Cape focuses where he is now, but we do touch upon why it he is where he's at.

BF: What were the emotional challenges for you on this book? The story seems to be quite dark, was it difficult to get into that space for periods of time in order to knock the script out?

HW: It was harder than I expected it to be. I was thrilled and happy expecting our first child. Doing all the things new parents do, read tons of books, buy way too many baby things, and at the same time I was writing this dark tale of a man who feels he failed his family as a husband and father. In a way it helped having the contrast to reflect on. It allowed me to ask questions of what I would do, how far I would go for my wife and daughter if I was in Ethan's shoes. So it allowed me to grab real emotions to work off of.

BF: As this is your first published work, who would you say are influences on your story telling and your overall vision for the project?

HW: Jim plotted After the Cape, helping the story move more smoothly. I learned so much from him helping me focus on where I wanted to go with the story. Did I mention he also designed the logo? Is there no end to his amazing talents?  Kurt Busiek would be another one, his writing is inspiring. What can't that man write and write extremely well, I ask you? His approach to telling stories where we dive deep into a character is what I am hoping to do with After the Cape.

I would have to also mention my wife here. She is a huge fan of Manga and has shown me so much that I probably wouldn't have seen. The story telling styles in Manga are different from traditional comics, which gave me more books to enjoy and also learn from.

BF: Speaking of vision, how did you come to work with Marco Rudy?

HW:  He answered one of my ads online looking for an artist. During this time I was debating on scraping After the Cape altogether, since there were other artists that came on board and left just as fast. Marco was dedicated and communicated with me constantly, which gave me confidence in him. Not to mention his amazing art that blew me away.

BF: The artwork is really striking, is this the way you always imagined the story would look?

HW:  I was looking for someone who could do emotional art very well, which is harder than you may think. Marco's original art was less dark, but when he threw in the heavy shadow look from noir films, we were all for it. He is one talented man, I tell you. He is definitely going places.

BF: This is certainly a high profile project for you. Having gone through this experience, what advice do you have for other upcoming creators, be they writers or artists?

HW:  I know that I am very lucky to have this opportunity with Shadowline. Jim and Kris have been great at showing and guiding us through the world of comics that we are so lucky to be a part of now. 

Advice?

No matter how much you think you know, there's so much more that you must learn. Like so many things in life, if you truly desire to create a story, than do so for yourself, first. Don't try to create something in hopes that it will get published. The first thing you should be concerned with is if you like what you are doing. I write comics because I love the media. It allows me to tell the kinds of stories in the way I like most. Learn about what you are doing. I'm constantly reading and re-reading books on writing to improve myself.

Let’s face it, no one is a mind-reader. Creating a comic is a team effort, where communication and understanding is important. Everyone is trying to strive towards the same goal, but if no one knows what the others are thinking or doing, you won't reach the same goal in the end.

BF: Are you going to pinch yourself on March 14?

HW:  I'll do it just for you.

BF: Lastly, what’s next for you? Do you have more After the Cape stories, or are you looking to move to something else?

HW: Our second child. Heh, for writing wise, I'll just have to see what will happen. I would love to write the other stories I have in mind for After the Cape, not to mention other stories I have been building. I just have to see what opportunities are out there for me.